Manufactured Stone Blog | Native Custom Stone

The Importance of Sealing your Manufactured Stone Veneer

Manufactured stone veneer from Native Custom Stone is a great alternative to natural stone. It cost tons less than natural stone, and is much easier to install. To keep your manufactured stone veneer looking great and lasting you do need to know the importance of sealing your manufactured stone after it’s installed.

Sealing your Manufactured Stone, or Custom Stone, prevents from:

Cracking or Chipping of the Stone and Mortar
Swelling and Breaking
Mortar from absorbing water
Color fastness in the Stone

If you are installing Manufactured Stone Veneer on the exterior of your home sealing it is crucial to prevent against weathering. If you don’t seal your Custom Stone Veneer you risk it becoming saturated and could break, crack, or lose color. Also, sealing your stone will help protect the Stone Veneer from mud and dirt stains.

However, if your custom stone is on the interior of your home it’s not mandatory, but it is recommended.

If you have a Custom Stone Fireplace you will want to make sure to prevent it from soot stains.
In bathrooms it’s important because of the excessive moisture in the air.
In Kitchens it really is a preference. If you install a counter top you are going to want to seal your stone to prevent against stains. However, if you have Custom Panels accenting areas in your kitchen you may want to protect them from accidents but, it’s not necessary.

The benefits of Manufactured Stone Veneer are abundant and you can use it all over your home. This type of stone is great for do-it-yourself projects or large contracting jobs. It’s light-weight and costs much less than Natural Stone, though it looks natural and beautiful in any setting. Native Custom Stone offers a large selection of Manufactured Stone Veneer. Have a look at their gallery and visit a distributor near you.

Top 5 Places to use Manufactured Stone Veneer in your Home

Your local faux stone supplier talks about these Top 5 most popular places to install Faux Stone in your home. Manufactured stone veneer is a material that’s becoming more used recently. Faux stone veneer can be added to almost any room, including its many outdoor uses. If you haven’t thought about manufactured stone veneer or you wanted to add more to your home take a look at this list below. You might think up another great home renovation idea!

The Top 5 Rooms and Spaces to use Manufactured Stone:

1.) Finishing an above around basement. You can add manufactured stone directly to concrete to cover up what’s peeking out from under your home. It looks great and adds value to your house.

2.) Manufactured Stone Panels can be used as siding to your home, window seals, or door frames. A classic, it will look as if you home is made entirely of stone. Not to mention that this type can be a do-it-yourself project! It has gorgeous results!

3.) Bathroom and Kitchen counters and cabinets are another wonderful idea! It will give your home a timeless elegance and great functionality.

4.) Fireplaces look wonderful accented in manufactured stone veneer.

5.) Outdoors you can use manufactured stone veneer to accent gazebos, archways, and pool side areas. It looks great and has relatively low maintenance.neer. As if the fire wasn’t warm enough the stone makes the room much more inviting and cozy.

So, as you can see there are so many uses for manufactured stone veneer in your home. Hopefully this opened you up to all of the potential your home has. Most manufactured stone veneer has the capability to be a do-it-yourself project. There are so many styles to choose from. Native Custom Stone has dozens of styles and designs to make sure you find the perfect fit for your home. Please, don’t hesitate, give them a call today!

Dress it up! 7 Steps to Install Faux Stone Veneer to Your Home!

Your local faux stone supplier wants to to show you how to make your home more appealing by applying faux stone veneer. Manufactured stone veneer can be used in so many do-it-yourself projects to accent your home. It gives off the impression of sturdy stone construction without the cost and time consuming installation. One of the many great places to install manufactured stone veneer is on an exposed exterior basement.

Steps to Installing Manufactured Stone Veneer:

Your surface will need to be clean, unpainted, untreated, and unsealed. For brick, concrete, or block you can apply the veneer directly to the wall.
Prepare your mortar. This is the best mix: 12 heaping shovels of sand to 1 bag of type S masonry mortar.
Start with you straight edges first, so, right where your siding stops. Spread the mortar approximately ½” thick onto the exposed surface.
Place your stone over and under by 3” from where you want to stone to rest. Push the stone into the mortar firmly and ‘twist it’ up and over to its resting place.
Dressing the joints is a critical step, its also the slowest. When the joints are drying, at about 50%, fill the shallow areas and smooth them with a jointing tool.
Brush the finished mortar with a handheld whisk broom to clean off excess. Also, clean off any mortar that is on the stone with a wet rag. Do not let it rest over night without completing this step.
Finish up by cleaning your area. Let the mortar dry for 24 hours and wash with a simple water hose. Apply sealer according to manufactures instructions.

This is surprisingly simple installation that will have professional results. Your home will have the look of a sturdy stone construction. Native Custom Stone has a huge selection of manufactured stone veneer designed to make the interior or exterior of your home look timeless. If you’ve been considering adding stone to your home give them a call!

Why Should You Choose Manufactured Stone over Natural Stone?

A local faux stone supplier is talking about the differences between natural stone and manufactured stone and which one to choose. Organic Stone has been the foundation of building materials for thousands of years. Now, however, we have manufactured stone or custom stone veneer. Natural stone is a beautiful way to accent any room in your home, thought it does come with a hefty price tag, and time consuming installation that you generally wouldn’t want to tackle alone. Custom stone, however, is an inexpensive material in comparison. It’s also much easier to use for do-it-yourself projects!

Why should you choose manufactured stone over a natural stone veneer?

Manufactured or Custom stone is much lighter in weight in comparison.
Natural stone is no doubt a much more expensive choice.
With natural stone you must first pay to reinforce the area, such as a fireplace, to support the weight. This isn’t the case with manufactured stone.
It’s easier to create a custom piece from manufactured stone. The more you customize natural stone the higher the price is.
Custom stone is made to look real. However, it is made to be consistent. For instance, if you use custom stone on your counter tops it will look natural, yet have an even and flat surface.
Last but not least, custom stone is simpler to work with on a DIY project. You could easily apply a stone veneer by yourself.

If you’re thinking about adding stone accents to your home whether it is a fireplace, exterior basement, or counter top, keep in mind the benefits of custom stone. While natural stone will remain a timeless building material, manufactured stone clearly takes the lead when coming to DIY projects and accenting homes for less. Native Custom Stone has years of experience with custom stone. If you’re considering adding custom stone to your home, check out their online gallery!

The Elegant Look of Faux Stone Veneer

Home improvement is something that is on every homeowner’s mind. Sometimes a room just seems to be missing something, as far as design goes; as if just a little something would make a world of difference. Often what the room is lacking are accent pieces. Accent pieces are often what can bring a room to life and create just enough balances and counter balances to make the room really glow. One great product to use and that we will be discussing is faux stone veneer.

Faux stone veneer, as the name states, is fake however this does not mean that it looks fake. In fact, to any eye this manufactured stone looks authentic. This is largely due to innovative designs and processes in which the manufactured stone is molded directly off of natural stone to get a look that is precisely like the real stuff. This really ups the ante on appeal, and when you take into consideration the cheaper price, better durability and lower maintenance, there is very little that keeps people from opting for faux stone veneer.

Another thing to consider when working with this product is the actual heft of it. Obviously it is much lighter than natural stone and so requires less structural support and installation than real stone. Faux stone veneer can also be incorporated into small or large products and come in a variety of colors and designs, including stone but also woods, to suit any room or project that needs enhancing or full-scale remodeling. Make that fireplace really stand out with a manufactured stone veneer setting, or finish off the bathroom counters. The possibilities are many, so let your mind wander and explore the delights of having faux stone veneer a part of your interior or even exterior decorating! You can easily work this stone into the exterior of your home and even into your landscape. Give Native Custom Stone a call today to help decide which stone veneer would make your home look great.

The Beauty of River Rock Stone Veneer

It’s getting to be the time of year when things start to cool off, plants and trees go into hibernation, and the weather can be downright cold and uninviting, leaving your patio to snow and rain and fallen leaves. This, however, does not have to be the case, and one great new product to use is river rock stone veneer. There are many ways you can dress up your patio for the winter months and holidays so that you can continue to enjoy the space throughout the year.

As previously mentioned, river rock stone veneer is a wonderful product. Designed to withstand just about any temperature and condition. Given the durable quality and low maintenance of this product, it’s hard not to incorporate it into the design and landscape of your home. A great place is out on the patio with an outdoor fireplace! River rock stone veneer or any style of stone veneer can furnish you with a authentic looking and fully functional fireplace to keep you warm while entertaining guests. If there isn’t room on your patio for fireplace, you’re not at a loss. There are also fire pots, which take up less space and are easier to move, fire rings and even fire tables! These options all provide appealing warmth and aesthetic beauty, allowing you to get outside without being cold.

Any of these options can also be outfitted with a river rock stone veneer base or enclosure to add extra style and creativity to your patio-warming option. You can either make the piece a focal point of the patio and natural gathering area, or have it off to the side as an accent piece for your greater entertaining area. Whatever you choose, you won’t be disappointed with the quality and life-span of river rock stone veneer. For more information on how to make stone veneer a beautiful part of your patio and home, give Native Custom stone a call today!

Manufactured Stone Veneer Suits Any Occasion

Manufactured stone veneer is finding its place in the household and landscaping in many different ways, thanks to the great versatility and appeal of this great product. It’s more affordable and durable than real stone or wood, and innovative design techniques have made which is real and which is not pretty much indistinguishable. In other words, you just can’t go wrong!

One of the ways that manufactured is being used and to great applause and success is in wet rooms. Now some of you may not be familiar with what a wet room is. Basically, take an oversized, luxurious shower area that pretty much is the whole bathroom and you have a wet room — the ultimate showering and relaxing experience that is usually encountered in spas and fancy hotels. However, with manufactured stone veneer you can bring the beauty and enjoyably of a wet room right into your home, making a spa day just a few steps away whenever you need it. Sounds amazing right?

Just imagine having a huge bath tub surrounded by rocks in earthy reds and browns, polished to a shine as though they were quarried and finished right before being brought to your home for installation. This is what manufactured stone veneer can do: It looks real because it is molded directly on what is real but the color and designs have far more possibilities because you can count on this product to be more affordable and flexible than real stone. You can have that wonderful stone encased tub or counter top without all the maintenance and sometimes sensitivities that come with real stone work. Manufactured stone veneer also comes in wood moldings that can offer you any style of wood design that you like. The options really are endless and can be specifically designed with you and your home in mind. So give Native Custom Stone a call today to give manufactured stone veneer a try.

Christmas Decorating with Faux Stone

Christmas is quickly approaching and with Christmas comes days of decorating and bringing in the holiday cheer right into your home. Faux stone is a wonderful way to further your Christmas decorating creativity in a unique and cost-friendly way. Since faux stone is inspired by nature, this gives them an incredibly realistic look and appeal that will be sure to impress anyone and liven up any space. For example, you can incorporate stone into an accent wall, highlight trim, and the entire room will seem to have undergone a wonderful transformation.

There are also many options to use faux stone beams or paneling that look like wood, and many of these projects are simple and easy enough to do yourself. All you need are the basic tools, a little time and the holiday spirit and you will find yourself quickly revamping your entire house for the holidays in ways that you have never previously deemed possible. This material is also sure to impress your guests, whether you’re throwing a Christmas party or having family home.

Of course, if you don’t have time to do it yourself, it is still an excellent choice for Christmas decorating, as contractors can have whatever additions you want to make to any room quickly installed, cutting labor costs and increasing the time you have to enjoy these creative inspirations. Upgrade the mantel to display stockings, or install decorative trim at corners to provide accents. After all, its all in the details and it can give those little hints of charm and cheer that will brighten rooms and moods.

For more information on the many different designs and ways that you can use faux stone in your Christmas decorating, give Native Custom Stone a call. Their friendly and experienced staff will be able to assist you in completing whatever wonderful, creative project you have in mind.

Get Creative with Manufactured Stone Veneer

With manufactured stone veneer the possibilities seem endless, and in many ways they are. There are so many different styles, colors, designs, and uses that manufactured stone veneer has that they can basically fit into whatever need and desire you have, providing the natural beauty inside and outside your home to enjoy for years to come.

There are many ways that simply stacking or arranging manufactured stone veneer, or where you decide to install manufactured stone veneer, that can greatly alter the look of the product as well as its surroundings. This means that installing manufactured stone veneer is often the most difficult and time consuming process. Not only is there is a bit of prep work involved, for those who enjoy do it yourself projects, but careful placement and deliberation is needed when it comes time to actually install manufactured stone veneer – to get the right look, as well as ensure that it will last for as long as possible. After installation there is also finishing that needs to be carried out. Again, this ensures that everything is as it should be with manufactured stone veneer. For those who aren’t as handy, call in a contractor to do the work for you and leave the work to them. Once your project is successfully completed you will have beautiful, natural-looking, durable and creative enhancements to enjoy for many, many years.

The best advice anyone can give you about manufactured stone veneer however is to get creative and think outside the box. Manufactured stone veneer is very versatile and with the wide range of options, you can make your dreams come true, whether it’s enhancing the fireplace or creating a breathtaking accent wall. For more information on how to incorporate manufactured stone veneer into your home, give Native Custom Stone a call today! With fast and friendly service, they will be able to assist you in all your project needs.

Great Project Ideas for Custom Stone

Custom stone can greatly enhance just about any area that is being used. It’s not surprise then that custom stone manufacturing has gone way up, and the demand is from many different sectors, including landscaping construction, residences, and the masonry industry. All enjoy using custom stone in a variety of ways and love that this material is both cheaper, more user friendly, and has many perks that natural stone doesn’t have. Basically, you can find the stone that suits your particular need and style.

With innovative materials, coloring pigments and polyurethane, this material is molded and manufactured in ways that make it look real! Only someone with an intimate knowledge of stone work and a keen eye would be able to tell the difference between what is real and not, which ups the appeal all the more. It also allows us to do more with technology, incorporating things like further durability, stain resistance and so much more into the actual material itself. The actual molding process is inspired by nature itself, which is what makes custom stone look so real. In many ways, these are state of the art representations and replications of natural stone, whether you’re looking for a brick, soapstone, flagstone, slate, or any number of naturally inspired custom stone designing.

While it used to be that many people were deterred by the fact that the stone was not real, now that the technique has been perfected and people have seen the results for themselves, it is being welcomed in all different kinds of projects, both commercial and residential. This type of material is lighter, more durable, cheaper and gives the same affects as real stone, including beauty and integrity that will last for years.

For more information on how you can liven up your place by using custom stone, give Native Custom Stone a call. They will be able to show you the vast array of design and finishes available as well as give fun, creative and useful ideas on how to incorporate custom stone into your household or business, both indoors and out.